Dairying no more viable
Manoj KumarTHE government and a section of the media are looking at the current milk supply crisis in Delhi as a temporary phenomenon, apparently caused by a conflict between the National Dairy Development Board and the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation. However, dairy experts in Punjab claim that it is a sign of a deepening crisis.

Livestock quality the issue
Sarbjit DhaliwalONE quick explanation offered by experts for the current milk scarcity is drought-like conditions in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat during the preceding three years. Heat stress in animals plays a major role in lowering milk yield. This has happened even in states like Punjab where there is no shortage of green fodder or water.

Don’t burn
that straw
Amarjit ThindTHICK clouds of smoke rising from paddy fields are likely to be a common sight in the coming days. It has become almost standard practice with farmers to burn the stubble left behind by “combine” harvesters in the fields.

Save paddy from hopper
SEVERAL varieties of leaf and plant hoppers have acquired pest status on paddy . Up to 21 species have been identified. White-backed hoppers and brown hoppers are the most spread, doing the damage from July to October.

As you reap, so shall you earn
Kanchan VasdevTHE average farmer is loath to follow the latest pre- and post-harvest techniques promoted by agriculture experts. Even as the harvest time for paddy nears, farmers are clueless about the recommended practices.

THE government and a section of the media are looking at the current milk supply crisis in Delhi as a temporary phenomenon, apparently caused by a conflict between the National Dairy Development Board and the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation. However, dairy experts in Punjab claim that it is a sign of a deepening crisis.

The current situation has exposed the crisis in the dairy sector, particularly in Punjab — one of the largest milk producing states. The blame goes largely to lack of reforms in the dairy sector and inefficient milk processing plants.

Declining profits

Mr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, says, “During the past four or five years, profit margins of milk producers have come down drastically. While the total cost of inputs like fodder, cattle feed and vaccinations has gone up manifold, the price of milk has increased only marginally. Lack of quality check on cattle feed has also resulted in lower milk yields.”

According to Prof H.S. Shergill, a senior economist in the Department of Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, “The cost of dairy animals has increased substantially over the recent years. Also, a section of non-land-owning milk producers, who used to purchase fodder from farmers, have also shifted away from dairying. On the other hand, several farmers now prefer private dairies over milk plants to sell their milk due to the price difference and hassle-free payments.”

Inefficient plants

Blaming the inefficiency in cooperative milk plants, Prof Aulakh says, “Most of them are earning profit by procuring milk at rates much lower than what they charge the consumer. With the increasing competition from private plants and vendors, they are now facing a shortage of supply. Most of them are not able to run at even half their capacity.”

Ms Raji P. Srivastava, Managing Director, Milkfed, says that owing to the drought-like situation in the state last year, a large number of milch animals could not conceive in time, resulting in delay in their calving, and consequently fall in milk production. She says though Milkfed is earning a nominal profit of about Rs 2 crore annually, the accumulated losses of the district milk cooperative unions has crossed Rs 104 crore.

All the 11 milk plants in the cooperative sector, excluding those of Ludhiana and Ropar, are now running into huge losses. The handling capacity of the cooperative plants in the state is about 17 lakh litre per day, and of private plants 60 lakh litre, but they are operating at 50-60 per cent capacity.

Fall in procurement

Claims Ms Srivastava, “Following reduced production, the procurement by Milkfed during 2003-04, up to July, in Punjab was 11 per cent less as compared to the corresponding period last year. Similarly, during August, the procurement is down by 16 per cent. On the other hand, the demand for liquid milk has increased by over 10 per cent, resulting in a demand-supply gap of over 20 per cent in the state.”

As per the Department of Animal Husbandry, milk production in Punjab steadily increased between 1980-81 and 1999-2000. It increased from 51.42 lakh tonnes in 1990-91 to 77.06 lakh tonnes by 2000. But in the subsequent year, it increased only marginally to 77.74 lakh tonne, and to 79.30 lakh tonne in 2001-02. In 2002-03 it was about 77 lakh tonne, registering a negative growth rate of about 3 per cent as against the 3 per cent growth registered during the previous year.

Pricing policy

Prof Aulakh says, “Unlike India, in the developed countries you do not pay more for high-fat milk that is not good for health. The government should ask Milkfed and other agencies to pay on the basis of protein and bacteria count in the milk to promote scientific dairy farming.”

About two years ago, reports regarding import of milk powder at low prices had started to erode the confidence of the domestic milk-processing industry and producers. During that period, neither did the government give due attention to improving the competitiveness of domestic milk producers, nor did milk-plant managements in the cooperative and private sectors make efforts towards efficiency.

What to do?

Mr Chanan Singh, Director, Punjab Dairy Development Board, says: “We need a thorough analysis of the dairy sector and a strategy to cut down the cost of milk production and to enhance the yield. I doubt if the nominal hike of 92 paise per litre would be adequate to encourage farmers to continue with dairying.”

Prof Shergill proposes, “To cut down the cost of dry fodder, which is near Rs 200 per quintal, the government should contemplate subsidising the labour employed for harvesting wheat and paddy.” He says due to the cost factor, most farmers go for harvesting through “combine” machines, which does not yield straw for fodder.

Prof Aulakh adds, “We need to produce internationally accepted milk and high-value products by investing in animal research, plant technology and better management. We should encourage high-yielding buffalo milk production as against cows, since they also fetch high premium in the international meat market.”

ONE quick explanation offered by experts for the current milk scarcity is drought-like conditions in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat during the preceding three years. Heat stress in animals plays a major role in lowering milk yield. This has happened even in states like Punjab where there is no shortage of green fodder or water.

Officials say that the buffalo-breeding season was also delayed this year. Because of this, there was been no improvement in milk procurement in July-August, as it should normally be.

Veterinary experts also say that the quality of cattle is deteriorating. All official programmes to improve milk yield by improving the quality of livestock have failed. Also, the increase in the price of good buffalos has put them out of the reach of small farmers, who sell to milk societies at the village level.

Foot-and-mouth disease has been attacking cattle in Punjab repeatedly over the past several years, affecting yield. Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development departments have not been able to respond to these exigencies adequately.

Punjab has been spending a lot on importing artificial semen to improve the quality of cattle, but there is no visible improvement. Contrary to the claims regarding stock improvement, there is nothing worth appreciating at the field level. Progressive dairy farmers have been left to fend for themselves.

In milk business, April is considered the leanest month, as far as procurement is concerned, and January-February is the “flush” period. Normally, procurement starts picking up by mid-August. However, this time it started improving only by the end of August. Now, each day, collection by Milkfed is increasing by 6000 litre. Milkfed has thus increased supply to New Delhi, where it is supposed to provide 1.40 lakh litre daily. In the past weeks the supply was only about 70,000 litres, according to a senior official.

A new phenomenon has been observed in milk demand. There has been a sudden spurt in the demand in urban areas. “This has surprised us,” says Milkfed MD Raji P. Shrivastava. “We are trying to study the demand phenomenon, and if this trend continues, then we will have to re-do all the calculations.”

According to one theory, the demand in the past three or four weeks increased because of the cola-pesticide episode and people turning to milk-based drinks.

Among other reasons for the demand could be the beginning of the festival season. Shortage of milk started around the Raksha Bandhan day, followed by Janamashtmi. The increase in demand, especially during the relatively lean period, to the tune of 15 per cent, created a bit of panic in milk market.

The milk business provides subsistence to a large section of society, especially marginal farmers and landless people, who, by and large, depend on selling milk. However, the crisis has highlighted that the government has failed to foresee the problems arising across the entire gamut from production to consumption.

THICK clouds of smoke rising from paddy fields are likely to be a common sight in the coming days. It has become almost standard practice with farmers to burn the stubble left behind by “combine” harvesters in the fields.

The State Department of Agriculture has cautioned about the dangers of this burning. Being highly combustible at the harvesting stage, even a spark from a straw-burning field can spread to adjoining fields. Farmers, keeping aside a part of the straw for dry fodder, set the rest on fire for quick disposal and to prepare the fields for the next crop.

By burning paddy (as well as wheat) straw, the biomass of the cultivable land also gets destroyed. Farmers need to be cautioned and educated in this regard.

The smog that results from this, affects lungs, which causes coughing and choking. People with heart and lung diseases are severely affected. It can lead to asthma, bronchitis, anoxia, etc. Besides, burning leads to depletion of the oxygen in the environment.

Ironically, the burning of straw does not come under the purview of the Air Pollution Act of 1981 and, as such, the pollution control board is unable to take any action against the farmers. However, the board on its own has started a campaign to educate the farmers against the dangers of burning organic waste. However, legal experts are of the view that action could be taken under the Public Nuisance Act against the farmers.

Experts say that the disposal of straw by burning is an inefficient method as important soil-nutrients are wasted, besides causing pollution. It is estimated that farmers burn 19.6 million tonnes of straw every year, worth crores of rupees, besides losing 38.5 lakh tonnes of organic carbon, 59,000 tonnes of nitrogen, 2,000 tonnes of phosphorous and 34,000 tonnes of potassium every year.

New stubble-chopping machine

The PAU has developed a new post-harvest-technology machine that helps farmers in the incorporation of paddy straw in the fields. They have engineered a first-of-its-kind chopping machine in the region.

The tractor-operated machine harvests the straw and chops it into little pieces for spreading in the field in a single operation. The chopped and spread stubble is buried by using traditional disc harrows in two operations and decays after irrigation. Then, wheat sowing is carried out as usual.

According to Dr I.K. Garg, head of the Department of Farm Power and Machinery, the machine costs about Rs 25,000 and covers about eight to 10 acres with a 40 hp tractor. It is expected to replace the existing stubble shaver. He said the machine can be further simplified to reduce its cost.

The incorporation of stubble with this machine is simpler than earlier methods, as it chops straw in a single operation. Rice is cultivated on 2.4 million hectares in Punjab and about 80 per cent of the area is machine-harvested.

Surveys across the globe have shown that nearly 10 million tonnes of straw is burnt in the fields, leaving silicon-rich ash and heavy smoke. However, with technology currently used in Italy and the USA, straw can be used to run thermal plants.

A recent breakthrough has led to the creation of super-efficient boilers that make it possible to recover and utilise every calorie when straw is burnt. Straw can also be used to produce urea.

Gasification technology envisages generation of producer gas (a combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen), which is used (methane or urea) in the production of petro-chemicals. It is a value-added product. Agriculture waste, in turn, re-enters the cycle as fertiliser.

Moreover, energy from agriculture would go back into the production of energy for agriculture. The cost of power generation from such plants compares favourably with the unit cost of coal-based power because the raw material (straw) need not be imported from Bihar (like coal). Moreover, there will be no ash-laden smoke because straw is completely burnt and farmers will also gain.

SEVERAL varieties of leaf and plant hoppers have acquired pest status on paddy . Up to 21 species have been identified. White-backed hoppers and brown hoppers are the most spread, doing the damage from July to October.

These hoppers suck cell sap from the leaf surface and tend to congregate on the leaf sheath at the base of the plant. Even if the infestation is low, tillering and growth are adversely affected. In conditions of high humidity, temperature and nitrogen application and no wind, the pest population increases rapidly.

Attack symptoms start from leaf tips and spread to the rest of the plant—leaves turn yellow and later on rust red. Brownish spots also appear. The attacked plant can ultimately dry up. In severe attacks, the crop dries up in round patches, giving a brownish hue, called hopper burn.

Presence of the pest can be detected by tilting a few plants and tapping them at the base at weekly intervals. Only if a minimum of 5 or 10 plant hoppers per hill drop out should the crop be treated with insecticides. Spray 40 ml Confidor 200 SL (imidacloprid) or 800 ml Ekalux/ Quinguard 25 EC or 1 litre Ekalux 20 AF (quinalphos) or 1 litre Carobon/Dursban 20 ED (chlorpyriphos) or 560 ml Thiodan/Endocel 35 EC (endosulfan) or 560 ml Nuvacron 36 SL (monocrotophos) in 100 litre of water/acre. Repeat the spray if necessary. For greater effectiveness, spray at the plant base.

If the damage is noticed at hopper burn stage, treat the affected spots along the 3-4 meter periphery immediately as these spots harbour high pest population. — Rishi Kumar

THE average farmer is loath to follow the latest pre- and post-harvest techniques promoted by agriculture experts. Even as the harvest time for paddy nears, farmers are clueless about the recommended practices.

Experts say farmers can follow certain simple steps and increase the quality and quantity of their produce. The common practice of harvesting green crop not only leads to blackening of the grain but also fetches a lower price. Similarly, harvesting the entire crop on a single day, too, leads to a lot of avoidable problems. Here we will take a look at some of the simple precautions:

Pre-harvest actions

Dr Piara Singh Gill, Director, Regional Rice Research Station, PAU, Kapurthala, says the farmers should keep watering their fields till the “milk stage” of the grains is over. Farmers tend to stop watering a month before harvesting in view of the difficulty faced by “combine” operators in wet fields. The shortage of water at this stage directly affects the yield and results in greater formation of chaff (green, immature grains). Watering should be stopped only 15 days before harvesting.

Ripening stage

The ideal ripening stage for paddy is when the grains are 80 per cent mature—they turn straw coloured or golden brown. White fluid should not come out of the grains when pressed. When the grains are hard to chew, it is time to harvest. As per international standards, any paddy variety takes 35 days to be ready for harvest after ear formation.

Harvesting tips

According to Dr Gill, the crop should be harvested on a bright sunny day after 9 am and before evening as dew can add to the moisture content of the grains. After harvesting, winnowing should be done within 24 hours, as this separates straw pieces and chaff from the healthy grains. The grains should then be dried immediately.

One common mistake is that farmers harvest the entire crop in one day, owing to limited availability of “combines”. But they do not realise that the crop was not transplanted from nurseries to the field the same day. While transplantation in 3-4 acres of land may take several days, the entire crop is usually harvested the same day. This is wrong, as the entire crop may not be at the same stage of ripening. Farmers should ensure that paddy in each plot of land is properly matured at the time of harvesting.

Mechanical v. manual

Manual harvesting, though less convenient and costlier, is better, say experts. “Combine” harvesting yields straw pieces as well as chaff along with the produce. This can increase the overall moisture content of the produce as chaff retains moisture. In manual harvesting, immature green seeds are not removed from the panicles and hence do not mix with the grains. Some farmers do not remove the chaff as it increases the yield by at least one quintal. However, Dr Gill points out, that they do not know that they get Rs 50 extra per quintal if the produce does not contain chaff. Also, manual harvesting is environment friendly and produces straw at the same time.

Field or floor drying?

Experts vote for field drying. They say that just after the crop is harvested, it should be spread in the fields for complete drying. A day of field drying is better than three or four days of floor drying. Sun is the best source of heat for drying. Grains should not be heaped as these produce heat, which in the presence of moisture produces foul smell and the rice becomes unfit for consumption.